How to Kill Voles
Keep your grass trimmed short., Take care of fallen fruit, pine needles, and mulch., Cultivate the soil in your yard or garden., Dig sharp materials into their tunnels., Add a barrier to trees or a gate to gardens.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Keep your grass trimmed short.
Underbrush and grassy areas are great for voles to create hidden runways.
Get rid of tall weeds and grass that can act as perfect cover for voles.
Be sure to dispose of grass and leaves when yard cleaning as exposed piles are great for voles, as are piles of wood and debris.Think about what would be good shelter for voles and look to eliminate them from your yard. -
Step 2: Take care of fallen fruit
Voles eat nuts, most fruits, and tree needles.
In particular, voles enjoy apples so be sure to properly dispose of fallen fruit and rack pine needles.
Also, do not put any mulch within 3 feet (0.91 m) or less of the base of your trees.Taking away any food sources will discourage voles from staying in yard. , At minimum you will destroy the runway systems created by voles but you may also be able to keep the pests by suffocating them in a collapsed hole with debris and lawn food or by injuring them outright.Use shovels and spades to turn over the soil.
Mark off your yard into strips and lift small trenches as you turn over the soil and fill the trenches with the soil from the strip beside it.
You want to discourage voles from making tunnels by disrupting the soil.
Soil should be cultivated in the autumn and spring., Use sharp material to make digging tunnels uncomfortable.
Try a mix of 10% coarse gravel and 90% soil.
You may also mix your soil with material like Permatil or Soil Perfector.
Use a shovel and spade to penetrate the tunnels and deposit the sharp material.
Cultivate your soil once the material has been deposited., Do not girdle your trees.
Use ¼ inches wire screen mesh or smaller hardware cloth to wrap your tree trunks.
The barrier should be at least a foot deep and 18 inches (45.7 cm) high for warmer climates.
For colder climates, make sure the barrier is as tall as your highest snowfall.
Clear weeds and brush before installing a fence to protect your yard, garden, or lawn.Use the same principles for installing fence as you would for tree screening choosing materials like wire fencing and digging at least a foot deep.
The height of your fence should also be at least 18 inches (45.7 cm) for warmer climates and as tall as your highest snowfall for colder ones.Wire fencing can be both time consuming and labour intensive especially if you own a large plot of line.
Wire fencing may be impractical with large gardens or yards so consult your local home and garden store to find the most effective solution for your budget and schedule.Voles continue to thrive during the cold of winter using the snow for cover.
Clear away at least 3 feet (0.91 m) of snow from your trees along with providing a sufficient barrier to keep the voles at bay.Hardware cloth can be purchased at your local hardware store. -
Step 3: pine needles
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Step 4: and mulch.
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Step 5: Cultivate the soil in your yard or garden.
-
Step 6: Dig sharp materials into their tunnels.
-
Step 7: Add a barrier to trees or a gate to gardens.
Detailed Guide
Underbrush and grassy areas are great for voles to create hidden runways.
Get rid of tall weeds and grass that can act as perfect cover for voles.
Be sure to dispose of grass and leaves when yard cleaning as exposed piles are great for voles, as are piles of wood and debris.Think about what would be good shelter for voles and look to eliminate them from your yard.
Voles eat nuts, most fruits, and tree needles.
In particular, voles enjoy apples so be sure to properly dispose of fallen fruit and rack pine needles.
Also, do not put any mulch within 3 feet (0.91 m) or less of the base of your trees.Taking away any food sources will discourage voles from staying in yard. , At minimum you will destroy the runway systems created by voles but you may also be able to keep the pests by suffocating them in a collapsed hole with debris and lawn food or by injuring them outright.Use shovels and spades to turn over the soil.
Mark off your yard into strips and lift small trenches as you turn over the soil and fill the trenches with the soil from the strip beside it.
You want to discourage voles from making tunnels by disrupting the soil.
Soil should be cultivated in the autumn and spring., Use sharp material to make digging tunnels uncomfortable.
Try a mix of 10% coarse gravel and 90% soil.
You may also mix your soil with material like Permatil or Soil Perfector.
Use a shovel and spade to penetrate the tunnels and deposit the sharp material.
Cultivate your soil once the material has been deposited., Do not girdle your trees.
Use ¼ inches wire screen mesh or smaller hardware cloth to wrap your tree trunks.
The barrier should be at least a foot deep and 18 inches (45.7 cm) high for warmer climates.
For colder climates, make sure the barrier is as tall as your highest snowfall.
Clear weeds and brush before installing a fence to protect your yard, garden, or lawn.Use the same principles for installing fence as you would for tree screening choosing materials like wire fencing and digging at least a foot deep.
The height of your fence should also be at least 18 inches (45.7 cm) for warmer climates and as tall as your highest snowfall for colder ones.Wire fencing can be both time consuming and labour intensive especially if you own a large plot of line.
Wire fencing may be impractical with large gardens or yards so consult your local home and garden store to find the most effective solution for your budget and schedule.Voles continue to thrive during the cold of winter using the snow for cover.
Clear away at least 3 feet (0.91 m) of snow from your trees along with providing a sufficient barrier to keep the voles at bay.Hardware cloth can be purchased at your local hardware store.
About the Author
Peter Rodriguez
Enthusiastic about teaching creative arts techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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